Flu Season October..Flu Shot Recommendations and Why It's Like Knowing the Opposing Team's Game Plan

Flu Season Starts in October ..Recommendations for Who Should Get a Flu Shot

Why is Getting a Flu Shot Like Knowing the Opposing Team's Game Plan ?

Flu is a virus. There are different strains or forms of the virus. The flu virus,  influenza, keeps changing.

There are a number of vaccines that are available to help protect you. Vaccines work by exposing your body's immune system to a weaker form of the disease. This exposure causes your body's immune system to  build up a defense system. Then if you are exposed to flu,  your body  is ready to defend itself.

When Should I Get Vaccinated with Flu Vaccine?

The Center for Disease Control recommends that people get vaccinated against influenza as soon as flu season vaccine becomes available in their community. Influenza seasons are unpredictable, and can begin as early as October.

Why is a New Flu Shot Needed Every Year?

A new flu vaccine shot is needed every year. The flu viruses keep changing. Every year scientists formulate a new flu vaccine based on the predicted flu viruses. Seasonal flu vaccine protects against what are predicted to be the three most common flu viruses. Because every year the flu viruses keep changing the scientists have to keep reformulating the flu vaccine. If you want the details.



"On February 23, 2012 the World Health Organization recommended that the Northern Hemisphere's 2012-2013 seasonal influenza vaccine be made from the following three vaccine viruses:

an A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus;

an A/Victoria/361/2011 (H3N2)-like virus;

a B/Wisconsin/1/2010-like virus (from the B/Yamagata lineage of viruses)".

Who is the Flu Vaccine Especially Important For?

The CDC says that people who have medical conditions like asthma, chronic lung conditions and asthma need the flu vaccine. People over 65. They also say pregnant women should get flu vaccine.



You can see a detailed list of who by clicking this

Who Should Get Vaccinated for Flu

According to the CDC Who Should Not Get Flu Vaccination Without First Consulting a Doctor?

There are some people who should not get a flu vaccine without first consulting a physician. These include:



People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs.

People who have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination.

Children younger than 6 months of age (influenza vaccine is not approved for this age group), and

People who have a moderate-to-severe illness with a fever (they should wait until they recover to get vaccinated.)

People with a history of Guillain–Barré Syndrome (a severe paralytic illness, also called GBS) that occurred after receiving influenza vaccine and who are not at risk for severe illness from influenza should generally not receive vaccine. Tell your doctor if you ever had Guillain-Barré Syndrome. Your doctor will help you decide whether the vaccine is recommended for you.

WHY WOMEN HATE PELVIC EXAMS BUT NEED THEM AND EXCELLENT SHORT VIDEO WHAT ARE UTERINE FIBROIDS AND OVARIAN CYSTS CAN OVARIAN CYSTS BE CANCEROUS

WHY WOMEN HATE PELVIC EXAMS BUT SHOULD GET THEM AN EXCELLENT SHORT VIDEO WHAT ARE UTERINE FIBROIDS AND OVARIAN CYSTS AND CAN OVARIAN CYSTS BE CANCEROUS

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A Great Short Video about Uterine Fibroids and Ovarian Cysts

Everybody hates the pelvic exam. Few women like to visit the gynecologist. Some of the topics a woman might like to discuss with her doctor include ovarian cysts and uterine fibroids. Here is an excellent (short) video where a gynecologist explains all about uterine fibroids ovarian cysts. Few women like to visit the gynecologist. It's usually no picnic going to the doctor and unfortunately some doctors aren't the friendliest people in town. And everybody hates the pelvic exam. That's understandable but as I've said repeatedly in healty medical Blog, the pelvic exam and the pap smear are great tests that can literally save your life. Get them! You'll thank me later. If you don't feel comfortable with your doctor find another but get that pelvic exam and pap smear. Anyway, here is an excellent video where a gynecologist explains all about ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids also what are ovarian cysts and how do you treat ovarian cysts? She talks about ovarian cysts, can ovarian cysts be cancerous? What are dermoid cysts? What tests for ovarian cysts? There is also an explanation of what are uterine fibroids

Read about a Pap Smear for Breast Cancer

Pap Smears are Primarily Responsible for the Drop in Cervical Cancer Read About Success in Cancer Treatment








As a general rule if you have pain in the pelvic area or abdomen you should see a doctor. Ovarian cysts and uterine (womb) fibroids are two common women's gynecologic problems. Ovarian cysts or uterine fibroids are just two of the many possible causes of abdominal or pelvic pain. A cyst is a fluid-filled sac and an ovarian cyst is a fluid filled sac in the ovary. A uterine fibroid is a solid smooth muscle mass that develops in the wall of the uterus aka the womb. The most common type of ovarian cyst is called a functional cyst, which often forms during the normal menstrual cycle. Symptoms may be feelings of pressure or fullness or pain. You need tests to determine what is going on.


Watch this excellent video about Uterine Fibroids and Ovarian Cysts Click the arrow

What are ovarian cysts?

A cyst is a fluid-filled sac and an ovarian cyst is a fluid filled sac in the ovary. On the ovary, different types of cysts can form. The most common type of ovarian cyst is called a functional cyst, which often forms during the normal menstrual cycle. Each month, a woman's ovaries grow tiny cysts that hold the eggs. When an egg is mature, the sac breaks open to release the egg, so it can travel through the fallopian tube for fertilization. Then the sac dissolves. In one type of functional cyst, called a follicular cyst, the sac doesn't break open to release the egg and may continue to grow. This type of cyst usually disappears within one to three months. A corpus luteum cyst, another type of functional cyst, forms if the sac doesn’t dissolve. Instead, the sac seals off after the egg is released. Fluid then builds up inside of it. This type of cyst usually goes away on its own after a few weeks. However, it can grow to almost four inches and may bleed or twist the ovary and cause pain.

There are also other types of cysts

Endometriomas. These cysts develop in women who have endometriosis, when tissue from the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus. The tissue may attach to the ovary and form a growth. These cysts can be painful during sexual intercourse and during menstruation.

Cystadenomas. These cysts develop from cells on the outer surface of the ovary. They are often filled with a watery fluid or thick, sticky gel. They can become large and cause pain.

Dermoid cysts. The cells in the ovary are able to make hair, teeth, and other growing tissues that become part of a forming ovarian cyst. These cysts can become large and cause pain.

Polycystic ovaries. The eggs mature within the follicles, or sacs, but the sac doesn't break open to release the egg. The cycle repeats, follicles continue to grow inside the ovary, and cysts form.

VIDEO AUTISM FROM JENNY MCCARTHY TO EINSTEIN TO GRANDIN FASCINATING VIDEO ARCHITECT OF OWN AUTISM TREATMENT

3 VIDEOS HOW THEY DIAGNOSE AND TREAT AUTISM FROM JENNY MCCARTHY TO EINSTEIN TO GRANDIN FASCINATING VIDEO ARCHITECT OF OWN AUTISM TREATMENT

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An Incredible Video of a University Professor who Engineered Her Own Treatment for Autism and Vaccines and Autism also a Video Einstein and Autism

Tired of polite cocktail party banter? Just say the magic word autism. Autism is among the hottest of hot button topics. From Jenny McCarthy to Bruno Bettelheim to Einstein (see the video below) few topics in Medicine can make people go ballistic as quickly as autism, how to treat autism and what causes autism. Do vaccines cause or have a link to autism? I have been watching in fascination a video about Dr. Temple Grandin who is perhaps the most famous person in academia with autism not counting Bruno Bettelheim, who didn't have autism but whose theory of autism was famous and as it turned out famously wrong. Grandin is the expert in animal behavior especially cattle and is very concerned with humane treatment of animals especially in industry. After not being helped by the 1950's era treatments for autism, Grandin discovered her own treatments for autism on a visit to her Aunt's cattle ranch. She is the architect of her own autism treatment and gone on to become an author and consultant.



Grandin Autism Video First Part Click the arrow









Grandin is a Colorado State University associate professor of animal science. "More than half of all cattle in the US, and a growing number in Britain, are moved through handling facilities she designed. Restraint chutes are one of her acknowledged specialities; she also developed the curved lane design used by some yards, intuiting that cattle would move more comfortably through something that made use of their natural tendency towards circling behaviour."



I have talked about the related Asperger's Syndrome elsewhere on healty medical Blog. As I said autism is a really hot button topic and the hottest button of all is vaccines and autism. From Jenny McCarthy to Bruno Bettelheim few topics in Medicine can make people go ballistic like autism and how to treat autism and what causes autism. Do vaccines cause or have a link to autism? It depends who you ask. Academic medicine in general isn't persuaded that vaccines cause autism. There are however some who beg to differ. For example, Jenny McCarthy wrote a book about her son's recovery from autism. Autism (sometimes called “classical autism”) is the most common condition in a group of developmental disorders known as the autism spectrum disorders including Asperger's Syndrome. Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests. Males are four times more likely to have autism than females.



Grandin Autism Video Second Part Click the arrow









McCarthy has said "We believe what helped (son) Evan recover was starting a gluten-free, casein-free diet, vitamin supplementation, detox of metals, and anti-fungals for yeast overgrowth that plagued his intestines. Once Evan's neurological function was recovered through these medical treatments, speech therapy and applied behavior analysis helped him quickly learn the skills he could not learn while he was frozen in autism. After we implemented these therapies for one year, the state re-evaluated Evan for further services. They spent five minutes with Evan and said, "What happened? We've never seen a recovery like this."




Einstein Autism VideoClick the arrow






There are three distinctive behaviors that characterize autism. Autistic children have difficulties with social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive interests. These behaviors can range in impact from mild to disabling. The hallmark feature of autism is impaired social interaction. Parents are usually the first to notice symptoms of autism in their child. As early as infancy, a baby with autism may be unresponsive to people or focus intently on one item to the exclusion of others for long periods of time. A child with autism may appear to develop normally and then withdraw and become indifferent to social engagement.

Facts about Autism

Temple Grandin: 'I'm an anthropologist from Mars'

DRY AND WET FOMS OF VISON LOSS AND A VIDEO ABOUT MACULAR DEGENERATION

THE TWO FORMS OF MACULAR DEGENERATION AND THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF VISION LOSS

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Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of severe vision loss among the elderly. There are two forms of macular degeneration. Age related macular degeneration is the leading cause of untreated vision loss in aging Western societies. In macular degeneration, central vision is lost, but peripheral vision almost always remains intact.The macula is located in the center of the retina. It is the area providing the clearest vision. I have discussed elsewhere on healty medical blog studies of Lutein and the AREDS study for the dry form of macular degeneration.



This video discusses diagnosis and treatment of macular degeneration Click the arrow









If you look directly at something, the light from that object forms an image on the macula of the retina. The retina is the light sensitive tissue at the back of the eye, sort of like the electronic pixels in a digital camera or the film in a regular camera. The retina converts light, into electrical impulses and sends these impulses to the brain. Scientists have been searching for ways to prevent and cure this very common and sometimes insidious eye problem.

Click and Read About the Studies of Lutein and AREDS to Help Prevent Vision Loss


There are two forms of macular degeneration. In people with the dry form of macular degeneration, which is more common, the light-sensitive cells in the macula slowly break down, gradually blurring central vision in the affected eye. In the wet form of macular degeneration abnormal blood vessels behind the retina start to grow under the macula. These new blood vessels tend to be very fragile and often leak blood and fluid. The blood and fluid raise the macula from its normal place at the back of the eye.

National Eye Institute on AREDS

Age Related Macular Degeneration: Update for Primary Care

THESE VIDEOS EXPLAIN WHAT CAUSE VARICOSE VEINS AND TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR SPIDER VEINS AND VARICOSE VEINS

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These Videos Explain How Varicose Veins Develop and Treatment Options

So what are spider veins and how do they compare with varicose veins? Varicose veins distended, visible superficial veins on the legs are almost always the result of problems with valves within the venous system of the leg. If a picture is worth a thousand words then these varicose vein videos must be at least ten thousand. The videos answer what exactly varicose and spider veins are, how the veins develop and how spider and varicose veins are treated. Varicose veins and spider veins are those not so attractive veins that people develop on their legs and elsewhere. You see all sorts of confusing advertisements in the newspapers for how to treat varicose veins. "Spider veins are similar to varicose veins, but they are smaller. They are often red or blue and are closer to the surface of the skin than varicose veins. They can look like tree branches or spider webs with their short jagged lines. Spider veins can be found on the legs and face".

Doctor Says Not Treating Varicose Veins Leading to Complications

Read about Radiowave therapy for varicose veins here





Varicose veins distended, visible superficial veins on the legs are almost always the result of problems with valves within the venous system of the leg. All leg veins contain one-way flap valves which are designed to help the flow of blood in the veins in an upward direction on its return to the heart. When one or more of these vein valves fails to function correctly (incompetent), some blood is able to flow back down into the leg in the wrong direction and tends to overfill and distend branches of superficial veins under the skin. Over a period of time, this additional pressure of blood causes the veins to stretch, bulge and become visible varicose veins.





This video talks about how varicose veins develop Click the arrow to start







Sclerotherapy is the most common treatment for both spider veins and varicose veins. Foam varicose vein therapy is a new variation of injection sclerotherapy. Because foam has a greater surface area than liquid,the foam that is injected is able to adhere to the vein walls more effectively and cause faster shrinkage of the damaged veins. In sclerotherapy, or ‘injection therapy’,a mild chemical solution is injected into the incompetent varicose vein. The sclerosing agent irritates the walls of the vessel, causing it to collapse. The body then absorbs the vein and blood is re-routed to a healthy vein, restoring proper venous circulation in the area. Other methods to treat varicose veins include radiowaves, lasers and as mentioned below the foam sclerotherapy.

Read healty medical Blog about the newer foam sclerotherapy of varicose veins

3 VIDEOS HOW THEY DIAGNOSE AND TREAT AUTISM FROM JENNY MCCARTHY TO EINSTEIN TO GRANDIN FASCINATING VIDEO ARCHITECT OF OWN AUTISM TREATMENT

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An Incredible Video of a University Professor who Engineered Her Own Treatment for Autism and Vaccines and Autism also a Video Einstein and Autism

Tired of polite cocktail party banter? Just say the magic word autism. Autism is among the hottest of hot button topics. From Jenny McCarthy to Bruno Bettelheim to Einstein (see the video below) few topics in Medicine can make people go ballistic as quickly as autism, how to treat autism and what causes autism. Do vaccines cause or have a link to autism? I have been watching in fascination a video about Dr. Temple Grandin who is perhaps the most famous person in academia with autism not counting Bruno Bettelheim, who didn't have autism but whose theory of autism was famous and as it turned out famously wrong. Grandin is the expert in animal behavior especially cattle and is very concerned with humane treatment of animals especially in industry. After not being helped by the 1950's era treatments for autism, Grandin discovered her own treatments for autism on a visit to her Aunt's cattle ranch. She is the architect of her own autism treatment and gone on to become an author and consultant.



Grandin Autism Video First Part Click the arrow









Grandin is a Colorado State University associate professor of animal science. "More than half of all cattle in the US, and a growing number in Britain, are moved through handling facilities she designed. Restraint chutes are one of her acknowledged specialities; she also developed the curved lane design used by some yards, intuiting that cattle would move more comfortably through something that made use of their natural tendency towards circling behaviour."



As I said autism is a really hot button topic and the hottest button of all is vaccines and autism. From Jenny McCarthy to Bruno Bettelheim few topics in Medicine can make people go ballistic like autism and how to treat autism and what causes autism. Do vaccines cause or have a link to autism? It depends who you ask. Academic medicine in general isn't persuaded that vaccines cause autism. There are however some who beg to differ. For example, Jenny McCarthy wrote a book about her son's recovery from autism. Autism (sometimes called “classical autism”) is the most common condition in a group of developmental disorders known as the autism spectrum disorders including Asperger's Syndrome. Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests. Males are four times more likely to have autism than females.



Grandin Autism Video Second Part Click the arrow









McCarthy has said "We believe what helped (son) Evan recover was starting a gluten-free, casein-free diet, vitamin supplementation, detox of metals, and anti-fungals for yeast overgrowth that plagued his intestines. Once Evan's neurological function was recovered through these medical treatments, speech therapy and applied behavior analysis helped him quickly learn the skills he could not learn while he was frozen in autism. After we implemented these therapies for one year, the state re-evaluated Evan for further services. They spent five minutes with Evan and said, "What happened? We've never seen a recovery like this."




Einstein Autism VideoClick the arrow






There are three distinctive behaviors that characterize autism. Autistic children have difficulties with social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive interests. These behaviors can range in impact from mild to disabling. The hallmark feature of autism is impaired social interaction. Parents are usually the first to notice symptoms of autism in their child. As early as infancy, a baby with autism may be unresponsive to people or focus intently on one item to the exclusion of others for long periods of time. A child with autism may appear to develop normally and then withdraw and become indifferent to social engagement.

Facts about Autism

Temple Grandin: 'I'm an anthropologist from Mars'

COMBINATION OF SURGERY AND DIET AND THE FATTEST HEAVIEST MAN IN THE WORLD LOSES HUNDREDS OF POUNDS OF WEIGHT HE PLANS TO STAND AT HIS WEDDING

I am fascinated or at least very interested in weight loss gastric bypass surgery. I thought about gastric bypass and obesity again while I was watching a report about the world's fattest, the world's heaviest person Manuel Uribe. I know two teenagers who have recently had gastric bypass surgery and have lost a lot of weight and are happy with the results. Even so, any surgery including gastric bypass surgery has significant risks and these must be considered.

Video of World's Heaviest Man Out With His Girlfriend Click the arrow






Anyway Uribe, the world's fattest man or at least he was the world's heaviest has dropped a lot of weight through a combination of surgery and a diet. It's quite an inspiration to read his story. Uribe has a girlfriend. Apparently his romance is a big part of his motivation to lose weight. One of his goal's is to stand at his wedding. And of course it helps when you have people, like his girlfriend, who care about you and are there for you. Uribe "dubbed the world's fattest by the Guinness Book of World Records has dropped 570 pounds, nearly half his body weight, according to a report from the French news agency". Uribe had surgery but it was not gastric bypass weight surgery rather it was surgery to remove a tumor and some tissue. The surgery did remove more than a hundred pounds of fat and tissue. He has however with the help of doctors lost an additional hundreds of pounds of weight.











"Manuel Uribe, 42, weighed 1,257 pounds at his heaviest. He was bed-ridden for five years and doctors from the United States, Italy and Mexico have been helping Uribe lose weight through dieting and exercise for the past two years, it is reported". According to the Wikipedia entry "Uribe was halfway to a picnic near his Monterrey-area home on March 9, 2008, to celebrate his girlfriend's birthday, when one of the posts holding a tarpaulin over his bed to shield him from the sun hit an overpass, so he had to return home for health reasons. His weight loss efforts continue.

Click to see expert physicians discuss pros and cons of gastric bypass



This video talks about Uribe world's heaviest man and his surgeons discuss his surgery Click the arrow




It goes on "devotion to the Zone Diet has been the only weight loss program to have such a positive impact on the Mexican man, whose weight once topped 1,200 pounds. Dr. Barry Sears, along with Dr. Silvia Orozco Avina and Dr. Gustavo Orozco Avina, are at the helm of the interdisciplinary team of doctors, nutritionists and exercise physiologists who continue to work diligently to help Manuel reach his goal and his birthday".



"Manuel's current diet consists of about 2,000 calories per day broken up into six meals. His specially designed menu includes a wide variety of meals including egg-white omelets, fresh salads, chicken fajitas and fish fillet in a bed of spring greens".

MYSTERY OF MEDICINE A BLIND ARTIST BLIND SINCE BIRTH DRAWS AND PAINTS WITH PERSPECTIVE AND SCALE VISUAL CENTERS IN HIS BRAIN ARE ACTIVE

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So he painted Bill Clinton so what? Well for one thing, he has never and I mean never seen him. Because this artist, this painter has been blind since birth! Watch this video of "the blind artist", Esref Armagan as he draws and paints pictures. On the face of it this doesn't seem to make sense. A man who has been blind from birth is able to paint pictures, art works with perspective and scale. Since he has never "seen" a sailboat, trees, etc how can he draw them? Apparently he can "see" with his other senses like touch. As the video depicts, scientists in the Neurology Department at Harvard Medical School have investigated Esref Armagan, the blind artist. The Harvard scientists did an MRI of Armagan's brain and they were amazed to discover that visual centers in his brain became activated when he is painting. In this video you can watch as they give Armagan a test to see if he can capture the perspective in a building that he has examined for the first time with his hands.






"In July of 2004, at the Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston, Armagan agreed to have his brain imaged in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine while he drew with a pencil on a sheet of paper. He explored a set of objects by touch-a coffee cup, a toy elephant, a toothbrush-and then was told to imagine them and draw them all from memory. Each time, his drawings hit the mark.



The blind artist Armagan draws Click the arrow






''What we saw in the scan was quite amazing," says Dr. Alvaro Pascual-Leone, an associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and director of the center. He and two colleagues in Beth Israel Deaconess's neurology department, Amir Amedi, PhD, and Dr. Lotfi Merabet, conducted a series of scans, each time challenging Armagan with more complex tasks. ''Esref's visual cortex lit up during the drawing tasks as if he were actually seeing," says Pascual-Leone. ''His scan, to the untrained eye, might look like the brain of a sighted person."

Old brain, new tricks New research on the blind is revealing the brain's ability to adapt and may lead to new therapies for everything from strokes to chronic pain

CHRISTINA APPLEGATE AND MRI MAMMOGRAMS DIAGNOSTIC AND SCREENING MAMMOGRAMS VIDEO TO SCREEN AND DIAGNOSE BREAST CANCER

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Applegate had an MRI to detect her early stage breast cancer

Many women understandably when they hear those terrifying words "breast cancer" panic. Do you know what the difference is between screening and diagnostic mammograms? Are MRIs used to screen for breast cancer? The news that Christina Applegate a.k.a Kelly Bundy of "Married With Children" has breast cancer, has resulted in a flurry of stories about her and about breast cancer. Reports are that her doctor ordered an MRI of her breast and that the cancer was detected at an early stage. Many women when they hear those terrifying words "breast cancer" panic. That is understandable. The fact is though, that many times breast cancer can be fought and the battle won. I personally have spoken with women who were diagnosed and treated for breast cancer twenty years ago and more. For example, Olivia Newton John's (who recently got married by the way) breast cancer was detected in 1992. As with cancer in general, vigilance and early diagnosis are key in success. "Applegate's publicist said she had benefited from early detection through an MRI ordered by her doctor".

Read about a Pap Smear Test for Breast Cancer



Mammograms. Do you know the difference between a screening and diagnostic mammogram? For a test that is supposed to clarify things, the whole topic of mammograms and what they are used for is rather opaque. Mammograms are still the most common screening and diagnostic tool for breast cancer. The MRI which is magnetic resonance imaging has been and is now being studied and used for breast cancer screening and diagnosis. MRI is not new. Though the technology and capability of MRI machines is flourishing. Watch this video and the one further down the page about screening and diagnostic mammograms as well as a doctor discussing her views on when to get an MRI for breast cancer, who should get an MRI for breast cancer and how sensitive MRI is for breast cancer.




First Video about MRI for Breast Cancer Click the arrow









Second Video about MRI for Breast Cancer Click the arrow














"Mammography can show changes in the breast up to two years before a patient or physician can feel them. Cure rates are much higher when the breast cancer can be found at this stage. Current guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the American Cancer Society (ACS), the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American College of Radiology (ACR) recommend screening mammography every year for women, beginning at age 40". However, earlier breast cancer screening is increasingly being recommended for certain women and there is disagreement even within the various medical organizations.

See further healty medical about Mammograms








"The National Cancer Institute (NCI) adds that women who have had breast cancer and those who are at increased risk due to a genetic history of breast cancer should seek expert medical advice about whether they should begin screening before age 40 and about the frequency of screening"

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"Diagnostic mammography is used to evaluate a patient with abnormal clinical findings such as a breast lump or lumps that have been found by her or her doctor. Diagnostic mammography may also be done after an abnormal screening mammography in order to determine the cause of the area of concern on the screening exam".






Watch a Video Explaining Mammogram How Mammogram works Click the Arrow to Start






What is a screening mammogram?



A screening mammogram is an x-ray of the breast used to detect breast changes in women who have no signs or symptoms of breast cancer. It usually involves two x-rays of each breast. Mammograms make it possible to detect tumors that cannot be felt. Mammograms can also find microcalcifications (tiny deposits of calcium in the breast) that sometimes indicate the presence of breast cancer.

How are screening and diagnostic mammograms different?

A diagnostic mammogram is an x-ray of the breast that is used to check for breast cancer after a lump or other sign or symptom of breast cancer has been found. Signs of breast cancer may include pain, skin thickening, nipple discharge, or a change in breast size or shape. A diagnostic mammogram also may be used to evaluate changes found during a screening mammogram, or to view breast tissue when it is difficult to obtain a screening mammogram because of special circumstances, such as the presence of breast implants. A diagnostic mammogram takes longer than a screening mammogram because it involves more x-rays in order to obtain views of the breast from several angles. The technician may magnify a suspicious area to produce a detailed picture that can help the doctor make an accurate diagnosis.

A CUTE GIRL MAKES A VIDEO ABOUT DEALING WITH THE HEAT WHEN YOU HAVE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AND NEWS ABOUT THE MS DRUG TYSABRI

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Watch this video by a (cute) girl named Lauren who has multiple sclerosis. She is talking about how she deals well with the heat. She also mentions the multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri, there is some news about Tysabri (see further). Heat is something that people with multiple sclerosis have to deal with since hot weather and heat can amplify or bring on the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. She certainly looks peppy. Apparently she has it covered.



Listen and Watch Lauren Talk about Handling the Heat with Multiple Sclerosis Click the arrow










By the way, she mentions the multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri. This so called humanized antibody drug (antibodies are manufactured by bodies to fight infections) is in the news again because Biogen Idec, a drug company reported that two more patients have come down with PML, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, a brain infection, the first cases since Tysabri was reintroduced to the market in July 2006.






But "despite the news that two patients in Europe were diagnosed with PML, many doctors say they are sticking by the drug. Tysabri remains the best hope for many MS patients who have tried other drugs without success, they said. And some patients on Tysabri seem to agree like the "32-year-old real estate developer who said that since he started using Tysabri 18 months ago, he has felt healthy for the first time in years".Tysabri is thought to inhibit white blood cells from getting into the brain and attacking nerves. Keeping these cells from attacking nerves is believed to result in fewer brain lesions that cause multiple sclerosis symptoms.

Despite risks, many staying with Tysabri

PART TWO VIDEOS ABOUT HOW TO MEASURE THE BLOOD PRESSURE THE RIGHT WAY TO TAKE BLOOD PRESSURE

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Watch this how to measure blood pressure video

Click the arrow to start






Why do I need the right size cuff for blood pressure?


First of all, you need to be sure you are using a blood pressure cuff that is the right size for you. If your arm is too large and the cuff is small your blood pressure will be recorded as higher than it really is. You can buy a larger size cuff for a larger arm.

Instructions for how to measure blood pressure with a blood pressure cuff or machine

Rest for 3 to 5 minutes before measuring your blood pressure. Do not talk.

Sit in a comfortable position, with your legs and ankles uncrossed and your back supported.

Place your arm, raised to the level of your heart, on a table or a desk, and sit still.

Wrap the correctly sized blood pressure cuff smoothly and snugly around the upper part of your bare arm. The cuff should fit snugly, but there should be enough room for you to slip one fingertip under the cuff.

Be certain that the bottom edge of the cuff is 1 inch above the crease of your elbow.

Place the stethoscope disk on the inner side of the crease of your elbow.

Inflate the cuff by squeezing the rubber bulb to 30 to 40 points higher than your last systolic reading. Inflating the cuff too slowly will cause a false reading.

Slightly loosen the valve and slowly let some air out of the cuff. Deflate the cuff by 2 to 3 millimeters per second.

As you let the air out of the cuff, you will begin to hear your heartbeat. Listen carefully for the first sound. Check the blood pressure reading by looking at the pointer on the dial. This number will be your systolic pressure.
Continue to deflate the cuff. Listen to your heartbeat. You will hear your heartbeat stop at some point. Check the reading on the dial. This number is your diastolic pressure.

Video Bret Michaels of the Band Poison How He Conquered His Type One Diabetes

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Bret Michaels who is the lead singer for the band "Poison" talks in this video about the fact that he has had juvenile diabetes since he was six years old. Juvenile diabetes mellitus is also called type 1 diabetes or insulin dependent diabetes. The band Poison became one of the biggest of the 80's bands and also recorded several hit albums. Michaels talks about how he deals with his diabetes and the challenges he has faced and overcome.



The warning signs of type 1 diabetes include extreme thirst; frequent urination; drowsiness or lethargy; sugar in urine; sudden vision changes; increased appetite; sudden weight loss; fruity, sweet, or wine-like odor on breath; heavy, labored breathing; stupor; and unconsciousness.



Video Bret Michaels of the band Poison talks about how he conquered his type 1 diabetes Click the arrow

VIDEO HOW TO TREAT RUNNERS AND JOGGERS FOOT PROBLEMS

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Who knew a foot could be so complicated? Maybe you did if you are a runner or jogger. No one besides a podiatrist is more concerned about the health of feet and how to prevent or treat foot problems than a runner. In this video a podiatrist discusses problems of the runner's foot. He talks about plantar fasciitis, gives advice about preventing shin splints and preventing achilles tendinitis, pain under the ball of the foot called metatarsal bursitis, hammer toes and the ever popular plantar warts, warts on the bottom of your foot.Get out the popcorn and watch.

Why does your foot hurt when you get up in the morning Click Here for the answer




Video lecture how to treat runner's and jogger's foot problemsClick the arrow

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF MIGRAINE HEADACHES WHAT TRIGGERS THEM AND HOW DO THEY TREAT MIGRAINES PART ONE

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A Young Woman Walked Into A Major Urban Medical Center Complaining of a Horrible Headache

A young woman walked into the emergency room of a major urban medical center a few years ago complaining of a horrible headache, a stiff neck and vomiting. The doctor examined her for the headache and wound up sending her home, with the admonition to take Motrin and Tylenol for the pain. Several days later an aneurysm, a weakened blood vessel in her brain ruptured and she had a stroke. She survived but with disability. Filtering out the causes of headaches can be a tricky proposition and it's better to err on the side of caution. I have a bad headache. I have a bad migraine. People often use the two phrases synonymously. A migraine headache can certainly be a bad headache. And a bad headache can certainly be migraine. But not all bad headaches are migraines.






Headaches are frequently tension headaches but they can also be high blood pressure headaches,head injury,meningitis and migraine headaches or sometimes even the result of a cerebral hemorrhage or brain tumor. There is even more than one type of migraine headache. I will talk about headaches and migraine headaches in a series of posts on healty medical Blog.






Several areas of the head can hurt, including a network of nerves which extends over the scalp and certain nerves in the face, mouth, and throat. Also sensitive to pain, because they contain delicate nerve fibers, are the muscles of the head and blood vessels found along the surface and at the base of the brain. The ends of these pain-sensitive nerves, called nociceptors, can be stimulated by stress, muscular tension, dilated blood vessels, and other triggers of headache. Once stimulated, a nociceptor sends a message up the length of the nerve fiber to the nerve cells in the brain, signaling that a part of the body hurts. The message is determined by the location of the nociceptor. A person who suddenly realizes "My toe hurts," is responding to nociceptors in the foot that have been stimulated by the stubbing of a toe.



The prevalence of migraine headache in the general population is approximately 6 percent in men and 15 percent in women, peaking at 40 years of age and then declining. (According to Stewart WF, Shechter A, Rasmussen BK. Migraine prevalence. A review of population-based studies. Neurology 1994;44(6 suppl 4):S17-23.)

What are the types of migraine headaches?

The most common are classic migraines and common migraines. Classic migraines start with a warning sign called an aura. An aura can change the way you see things. You may see flashing lights and colors, or you might not be able to see things to your side. Auras last about 15 to 30 minutes. Pain usually comes after the aura, but sometimes the pain and aura happen at the same time, or the pain never happens. The pain of classic migraines might be on one side of your head or on both sides. You may also have a strange prickly or burning feeling, or feel weak on one side of your body. You may have trouble talking. You may also feel depressed, grouchy, and restless.





Migraine headaches may be related to changes in the amount of a chemical called serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain. It is a chemical found in the gap between nerve cells in the brain and helps to carry the signal across the brain. We know that serotonin has a big impact in how you feel. It's no coincidence that one class of medication for depression is called SSRI. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. When serotonin levels are high, your blood vessels shrink. When serotonin levels are low, your blood vessels swell. This swelling can cause pain and other problems. Many things can affect the level of serotonin in your body, including certain foods and your level of blood sugar. In women, changes in the amount of a hormone called estrogen can affect serotonin levels.



A litany of things trigger migraines in some people. Things that trigger migraines can include strong smells, bright lights,loud noises,weather,stress,sleep alterations and many foods.

TWO VIDEOS ABOUT BARIATRIC GASTRIC BYPASS SURGERY A DRAMATIC SUCCESS AND THE PROS AND CONS WHAT IS LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERY

TWO VIDEOS ABOUT PROS CONS AND TYPES OF BARIATRIC GASTRIC BYPASS SURGERY ALSO A DRAMATIC SUCCESS AND WHAT IS LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERY

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What Are the Benefits and Risks of Gastric Bypass Bariatric Surgery

Should you or shouldn't you? I know a family where the teenage brother and sister both had gastric bypass surgery and they couldn't be happier. healty medical Blog discusses gastric bypass frequently because it has the potential to help people enormously but the pros and cons must be weighed carefully. It is a serious medical procedure. Should you have one of the variations of bariatric gastric bypass surgery such as the lap band? Being very overweight is a major health risk and for some people dieting just hasn't worked.











Obesity can make a person's life difficult with everything from real to perceived slights socially, at work and even buying tickets on an airplane. On the other hand, despite the fact that many people have had successful gastric bypass weight loss surgery a significant number of people have had complications.And if you are the one with complications that's a very significant number! Some people have died after the surgery. And it's not like once you are done with surgery you can go out and eat whatever you want as much as you want, you can't. So it is not something to be taken lightly, in the case of the teens above they both had to take part in counseling to decide if and prepare for the weight loss surgery.

Video of a Bariatric Surgery Success and More About Laparascopic Gastric Bypass Surgery

As you can see by watching this video of a young woman who had weight loss surgery some people have had remarkable even awe inspiring results. After you watch this video I recommend you watch the second video beneath it where a bariatric weight loss surgeon discusses the pros and cons of bariatric surgery. That video features the surgeon who performed the first laparoscopic gastric bypass for weight loss.



Before and After Video of A Young Woman Who Had Gastric Bypass Click the Arrow









Watch a very detailed expert video discussing the pros and cons of gastric bypass and weight loss surgery. There may be as many as 16 million Americans who are candidates for weight loss or bariatric surgery such as gastric bypass surgery.
This video features the surgeon who performed the first laparoscopic gastric bypass for weight loss. Laparascopic surgery uses small incisions in a less invasive surgical procedure with faster recovery times. In this video about weight loss surgery they discuss the pros and cons and what results you can expect with gastric bypass surgery. They also talk about who is a good candidate for bariatric (weight loss) surgery.




Watch a video discussing the pros and cons of gastric bypass surgery Click the arrow to start






A New England Journal of Medicine research article found that gastric bypass surgery is beneficial. "In fact, the benefit is quite dramatic. The authors studied 9,949 patients who had undergone weight loss surgery, and compared them to a control group of 9,628 severely obese individuals who did not have the surgery".

Click healty medical Study Suggests Less Cancer With Gastric Bypass

SPORTS PHYSICAL HEART PROBLEMS HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE WHAT SHOULD THE DOCTOR DO

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Some Patients Demand That They Get Passed on Their Sports Physical Even With Untreated Medical Problems

You think it's easy being a doctor? Amazingly doctors have not settled on a sports or exercise physical exam standard. That is, besides an extensive history, what kind of sports physical tests do you run? For example, most doctors do not get an EKG electrocardiogram because many argue an EKG won't detect many heart problems. On the other hand, in Italy many would be athletes get an EKG especially an exercise EKG. Doctors every day are faced with patients (or their parents) who insist, even demand that the child or adult who is getting a physical exam for sports participation or job be passed. In a related story Dr. Secretwave101 lays out the facts of one of the doc's patients.






"I recently saw a patient because he “flunked” his sports physical at school for a resting blood pressure of 164/93. He is entering his senior year of high school, and unless I clear him to play football, he won’t make the team. He plays the starting offensive and defensive tackle positions on the varsity squad. By accounts, the kid is a terror on the field. He has lightning-fast feet, instincts that can’t be taught and immense strength for his age.

Some Studies Say An Exercise EKG is Superior to a Resting EKG It Sounds Logical




"He also has hypertension (high blood pressure) and elevated cholesterol. His BMI is 32 - well past the definition of obese and heading toward morbid obesity. College scouts are taking a serious look at this kid".

You Be The Doc - Football Player with Hypertension

VIDEO OF A WOMANS PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH GASTRIC BARIATRIC WEIGHT LOSS BYPASS SURGERY

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I've written an abundance of words on healty medical Blog about the pros and cons of gastric bypass weight loss surgery. It's not something to be taken lightly as the risks are real and people sometimes have bad complications. Yet, the number of Americans having weight loss surgery more than quadrupled between 1998 and 2002 from 13,386 to 71,733. Well, I have to admit if people get results like the young woman in this video who went ahead and had gastric bypass surgery I could understand the enthusiasm.



Before and After Video of A Young Woman Who Had Gastric Bypass Click the Arrow





Her appearance is certainly impressive. Weight loss surgery also called bariatric surgery such as gastric bypass and gastric band is becoming a more common but not routine way of dealing with severe obesity. The video is an eloquent testimony to the possible success of weight loss surgery. For many, the endless dieting and shelves of diet books have not payed off in permanent change. This woman certainly underwent a remarkable transformation and will no doubt inspire many to seriously consider gastric bypass surgery. I would still remind you that this is still major surgery. Any surgery has some risks attached starting with anesthesia.

Read and Watch Video About Experimental Non Cutting Weight Loss Stomach Procedure

EXPERT VIDEO PROS AND CONS WEIGHT LOSS BARIATRIC SURGERY

A SURGEON TELLS OF HIS OWN GASTRIC BYPASS SURGERY

COULD YOU PLAY YOUR WAY TO HAPPINESS VIDEO COMPUTER GAME RELIEVE STRESS INCREASE SELF ESTEEM CHANGE TO POSITIVE THINKING WORKS IN TELEMARKETERS

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Through Repetitive Playing the Mind is Trained to Focus on Positive Aspects

Are those people laughing at you? We make split second snap judgements about what others think of us. Much of that is due to thought conditioning and our self perception and self esteem. Mark Baldwin, a McGill psychology professor developed a video computer game designed to change the automatic negative response and build self confidence and self esteem.

Research Playing Computer Video Games Can Strengthen Brain Power




He has research to confirm that his Mindhabits video game works to relieve stress and change negative thinking. Baldwin and colleagues knew that stress was often a reaction to social threat, insecure thoughts like "Are they laughing at me? "So we thought, OK, can we design a video game that will help people practice positive patterns of thought"? The idea is that through repetitive playing on the video game, the mind is trained to focus on the positive aspects of life.

Research on Telemarketers! (Talk about Stress) Find the Face Change Your Life

"We needed to find a group that was very stressed and, you know, I always hang up on telemarketers frankly, personally, so they're dealing with a lot of rejection all day long. But after playing the game five minutes a day for a week, something incredible happened. The level of cortisol, or the stress hormone, in their bodies had dropped by 17 percent. Even more remarkable is the employees playing the game were rated as more self-confident and then moreover they actually made more sales".
"We wanted to see if specific patterns of social information processing might contribute to stress; if these patterns could be changed with the help of specially-designed computer games; and if the development of new habits of thought might lead to lowered stress levels in day-to-day life".






Speaking about the computer games for stress. "Our starting point is past research showing that insecurity feelings and daily stress arise, in large part, from anxieties about whether one will be liked, accepted, and respected by one's peers and significant others. Sometimes people are aware of these concerns, but often social insecurities of this type influence people's thoughts and feelings "automatically", without a lot of deliberate thought and sometimes even entirely outside of their awareness. All they experience are negative reactions to the self or to social situations".

"To make a long story short, whereas people with lower self-esteem tended to show a pronounced attentional bias toward threat, this tendency was essentially removed if they first played the find-the-smile game. This suggests that attentional habits can indeed be trained by practicing the ability to orient toward positive and away from negative social feedback" such as with this video game! The findings were published in the October,2007 issue of the American Psychological Association's Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Playing social-intelligence game reduces stress hormone by 17 percent

AVOIDING PREMATURE WRINKLES VIDEO WITH ADVICE ABOUT AVOIDING WRINKLES PREVENTING SKIN DAMAGE AND PROTECTING YOUR SKIN

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How to Avoid Skin Damage and Premature Wrinkles

Regardless of skin creams, Botox or dermal fillers if you expose your skin to heavy Sun you can expect premature wrinkles. In this video a dermatologist gives advice about how to protect your skin from skin damage including wrinkle formation. Sun exposure is one of the big factors in premature wrinkle formation. Doctors suspect there is a link between UVA exposure and longer-term skin damage, including wrinkles, basal and squamous cell cancers and melanoma. The Sun's UVB rays cause short-term sunburn and skin cancer. UVA rays (among other factors) cause wrinkling and may have some role in development of skin cancer.

What are Factors in Wrinkle Formation?

So UVB rays cause short-term sunburn and skin cancer. UVA rays cause wrinkling and may have some role in development of skin cancer. The skin specialist in this video discusses a relatively recent ingredient in sunblocks available in the United States called Mexoryl, ecamsule, that has been available in Europe for some time. Mexoryl combined with other sun blocks does a better job of protecting the skin. A 5% ecamsule containing sunscreen can prevent early changes leading to photoaging in humans. A broad spectrum sunscreen with ecamsule, avobenzone and octocrylene significantly reduces the skin damage associated with UV exposure in human subjects.



The dermatologist also talks about which sunscreen to apply, how much sunscreen to apply,what the difference in SPF is and even when to apply it. She also talks about ways to reverse skin damage. She talks about retinols, she says Retin A has been shown to stimulate collagen production. She also discusses treatment for sunburn.

Click Flax Oil and the Skin Benefits

Did You Know About Dermal Fillers and Botox for Wrinkle Removal?



Video About Protecting the Skin and Skin Damage Click the arrow





Videos about Health and Fitness

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

VIDEO ABOUT NEW CANCER DRUG TAKING FOOT OFF THE PEDAL THAT DRIVES PROSTATE CANCER FORWARD ABIRATERONE STUDY MAY POINT TO NEW TREATMENT FOR PROSTATE C

VIDEO ABOUT NEW CANCER DRUG TAKING FOOT OFF THE PEDAL THAT DRIVES PROSTATE CANCER FORWARD ABIRATERONE STUDY MAY POINT TO NEW TREATMENT FOR PROSTATE CANCER

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Could Abiraterone Take the Foot Off the Pedal that Drives Prostate Cancer Forward?

Possibly an enormous breakthrough, could abiraterone be a new effective treatment for what was drug resistant prostate cancer? Dr. Johan DeBono, a lead researcher described it this way. The drug, abiraterone "takes the foot off the pedal of the accelerator that drives the cancer forward". As you can see in this video about the prostate cancer study, scientists are testing the drug called abiraterone or CB7630 against prostate cancer. Scientists believe that testosterone levels stimulate the growth of prostate cancer cells. As you know testosterone is the male sex hormone.

A VIDEO ABOUT THE NEW CANCER DRUG TESTOSTERONE IS THE MALE HORMONE

Testosterone manufacture is accelerated by an enzyme called 17α-hydroxylase/C17,20 lyase. An enzyme is a chemical which speeds up a chemical reaction. In preclinical and clinical studies, abiraterone has shown that it can block the enzyme, resulting in blocking of testosterone production. By blocking the enzyme that is involved in testosterone manufacturing you can slow down the prostate cancer.



PSA is a common blood test for prostate problems. In general, men over 50 and some younger will get PSA testing as part of a physical exam at their doctor. "70%-80% of the patients in the abiraterone study saw a reduction in PSA levels and the data also demonstrated that abiraterone delayed disease progression by a median of 400 days".





Watch Video About A Possible Breakthrough CB7630 abiraterone in Treating Prostate Cancer Click the arrow






The trial was conducted by the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Hospital in England. "De Bono said that the Royal Marsden patients in the study have been monitored for up to two-and-a-half years and with continued use of abiraterone they were able to control their disease with few side-effects".



"21 chemotherapy-naive men with prostate cancer resistant to multiple hormonal therapies experienced significant tumour shrinkage and reduction in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels when treated with abiraterone, also known as CB7630. PSA is a common blood test for prostate problems". In general,men over 50 and some younger will get PSA testing as part of a physical exam at their doctor. "70%-80% of the patients in the abiraterone study saw a reduction in PSA levels and the data also demonstrated that abiraterone delayed disease progression by a median of 400 days".





"John Neate, chief executive of The United Kingdom’s Prostate Cancer Charity said “this is an exciting development which has been eagerly anticipated”. He noted that advanced prostate cancer is very difficult to treat as, after a period of time, it stops responding to conventional ways of controlling testosterone, essential to the cancer’s continued growth. Mr Neate concluded by saying that “we look forward to the results of the larger trials already underway or being planned for this drug to prove its potential effectiveness for the thousands of men diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer every year”.

Phase I Clinical Trial of a Selective Inhibitor of CYP17, Abiraterone Acetate, Confirms That Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Commonly Remains Hormone Driven




On another front in the cancer wars..

Clinical Trial at University of Alberta of DCA Does It Make Any Sense?